1. Field of the Disclosure
The present subject matter relates to systems and methods for processing and collecting blood, blood constituents, or other suspensions of cellular material.
2. Description of Related Art
Today people routinely separate whole blood, usually by centrifugation, into its various therapeutic components, such as red blood cells, platelets, and plasma.
Conventional blood processing methods use durable centrifuge equipment in association with single use, sterile processing systems, typically made of plastic. The operator loads the disposable systems upon the centrifuge before processing and removes them afterwards.
Many conventional blood centrifuges are of a size that does not permit easy transport between collection sites. Furthermore, loading and unloading operations can sometimes be time consuming and tedious.
In addition, a need exists for further improved systems and methods for collecting blood components in a way that lends itself to use in a variety of applications, particularly, but not exclusively, where the operational and performance demands upon such fluid processing systems become more complex and sophisticated, even as the demand for smaller and more portable systems intensifies. The need therefore exists for automated blood processing controllers that can gather and generate more detailed information and control signals to aid the operator in maximizing processing and separation efficiencies.
The present subject matter described below has particular, but not exclusive application, in portable blood processing systems, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,348,156; 6,875,191; 7,011,761; 7,087,177; and 7,297,272 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0137516, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference, and such as embodied in the ALYX® blood processing systems marketed by Fenwal, Inc. of Lake Zurich, Ill.